Best Gifts for a Calligraphy Beginner

If you want to give someone the gift of learning calligraphy — even if that someone is you — then you’ll appreciate this post! In it, you’ll learn which supplies comprise a basic, high-quality calligraphy starter kit. If you want to go beyond the basics, the post also contains suggestions for additional fun purchases that can enhance anyone’s calligraphy creation!

Modern calligraphy is a fun and useful hobby; there are few people out there who won’t appreciate a beautifully addressed envelope or a neatly written note! Many people would like to learn how to create swoon-worthy lettering, but the vast number of calligraphy supplies available may make the pastime intimidating for a calligraphy beginner. So, if you’re a beginner or if you know a beginner, this post is for you! In it, you’ll learn about supplies you can buy to make for a smooth and enjoyable introduction to this wonderful art.

Base Supplies (to Make a Starter Kit)

There are six base calligraphy supplies that I recommend, which are pictured here:

I’ll expound on all six supplies below, but for simplicity’s sake, I have made a list with hyperlinks:

Any pen, such as a ballpoint or gel pen (this hasn’t been hyperlinked because I am certain you have one at home!)

1. Any Pen

I really mean that you can use any pen — or pencil, for that matter. It’s easiest for a calligraphy beginner to start his or her learning with a familiar instrument! That’s why all of the Learn Calligraphy worksheets (like the Amy Style sheet pictured below) begin with a “faux calligraphy” section. Practicing “faux calligraphy“, or calligraphy created with a regular pen, helps to build up muscle memory that will come in handy when you’re ready to start using a dip pen!

The faux calligraphy technique can be created with any pen, but I, personally, prefer to use gel pens such as the Pentel Energel and the Pilot G2. Both pens fill in downstrokes very nicely!

2. Straight Holder

It really doesn’t matter what straight holder you purchase as long as you are comfortable using it! Generally, straight holders are cheap and long-lasting.

For comprehensive information that will help you decide which straight holder to purchase, you can take a look at the A Guide to Straight Calligraphy Pens blog post. If you’d like a solid recommendation without having to weigh pros and cons, though, I’d recommend the Manuscript straight pen … it’s what I provide to learners when I teach workshops, and I often use it myself!

3. Nikko G Nib

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you are probably tired of me getting up on my soapbox about how great the Nikko G nib is for beginners!

The truth of the matter is this: the Nikko G is a nib that stands up admirably to growing pains. It will faithfully serve any calligraphy beginner as he or she works through figuring out how much pressure to exert and what angle to hold the nib at! To learn more about why I think the Nikko G is the best beginner calligraphy nib, you can read this blog post. If you’re sitting here going, “Yeah, OK, I’ll take your word for it,” then you can purchase one here.

4. 32# Laserjet Paper

For a long time, I recommended Rhodia pads to practice writing calligraphy on because they are super-smooth. I still love Rhodia, but upon acting on a friend’s recommendation and trying 32# laserjet paper, I love it even more than Rhodia. I use HP laserjet paper, but I would imagine that any other brand of 32# laserjet paper would work perfectly as well!

Mainly, I love laserjet paper because it’s a lot cheaper per page than Rhodia is and it’s just as smooth and effective. As an added bonus, it’s the very best thing you can print any of the Learn Calligraphy worksheets on! You can practice to your heart’s content without worrying about wasting expensive paper.

Like Rhodia, 32# laserjet paper is wonderful for a calligraphy beginner because it’s nice and smooth: the fibers in the paper are dense, so your nib will slide right over them without catching! Another perk of the dense fibers is your ink won’t bleed. You can see in the calligraphy doodles photo above that all the letters are crisp and clear!

5. Sumi or India Ink

Both sumi and India ink are fantastic for beginners. The inks feature a smooth viscosity that is neither too watery nor too thick. That just-right viscosity is key for a calligraphy beginner!

I generally write with Yasutomo sumi ink (this ink was used to create the Kaitlin Style calligraphy above); I love it because it dries nice and matte, and flows smoothly out of the nib. For India ink, I just use good ol’ Speedball! It gets the job done beautifully and is widely available at art supply stores. You really will be fine using either ink, but if you’d like more information on both inks before you make a decision, you can read Black Inks Comparison Part I and Black Inks Comparison Part II.

6. TPK Calligraphy Worksheet of Your Choice

I get a lot of questions about which printable TPK calligraphy worksheet I would recommend to a calligraphy beginner, and, really, the answer is any one of them. If you’re enthusiastic about the style , then you’ll learn it better! That said, if the learner were truly indifferent, I would recommend the Amy Style worksheet and its accompanying video course. (Don’t forget: worksheets can be printed off on any paper, but I like them best printed on 32# laserjet paper; they’re easier to write on that way!)

I like the Amy for beginners because it can easily be created with a straight pen (versus an oblique pen, which you’ll read about here in a few paragraphs). It’s great for learners because it’s a style that doesn’t have any slant; oftentimes, scripts with slants can cause frustration. And, really, Amy Style calligraphy is lovely! Check out how it shines in the envelope below:

If you’re not quite convinced, you are welcome to begin with any of the other styles — the Kaitlin is my personal favorite. To read a comparison of all the worksheet styles, you can check out these two blog posts:

Next Level Supplies

The supplies outlined above represent a cost-effective, entirely useful list of everything you’ll need to get started. That said, like any activity, calligraphy has a lot of optional bells and whistles that can spice up your routine and make your lettering more fun! Here are some next-level supplies that will appeal to any calligraphy enthusiast:

1. Oblique Calligraphy Pens

I have written a lot about oblique pens throughout the TPK blog because I love using them! They provide a writing angle that is perfect for creating right-leaning styles. This goes for left-handed folks, too — but remember to purchase a left oblique pen if you are a leftie!

While I find these pens to be incredibly useful, I recommend them as a “next level” supply because they can be a little bit tricky to learn how to use at first. To learn more about why oblique pens exist and how to use them, you can check out this blog post.

2. Pretty Envelopes

Having nice, high-quality envelopes to work with can make calligraphy creation even more enjoyable! After all, one of the best implementations for calligraphy and lettering is mail art.

3. Different Kinds of Inks

There are just about a zillion different kinds of inks out there, and all inks are lovable for different reasons. For example, the Janet Style envelope below was created with Dr. Ph. Martin’s Pen White ink. This ink is wonderfully opaque on dark paper!

You can also use metallic inks like Lumiere to spice things up! Lumiere looks one way when it’s not exposed to direct sunlight …

… But give it some light to play with, and it glows!

Anyway, you get the point: there are a lot of inks to experiment with! You can read more about some of my favorites in this collection of blog posts.

4. Calligraphy Books

Pinterest is a fantastic source of inspiration, but sometimes nothing compares to having a physical book to flip through! There are so many wonderful calligraphy books out there; my current two favorites are Modern Calligraphy by Molly Suber Thorpe and Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy by Eleanor Winters. For a super-amazing mix of lettering and illustration inspiration, I am totally in love with Flow Magazine (pictured below).

Flow is pricey, but more than worth the cost for all of its fantastic content. Plus, there are no advertisements to distract you, which is really refreshing!

I know we talk a lot about calligraphy supplies here on the TPK blog, and you have probably seen some of this information before. Still, I hope you found it informative! I’d like to end this post by providing you with a list of online shops where you can purchase supplies no matter what corner of the world you are in. If you have any additional feedback on retailers, please feel free to contribute! This is by no means a comprehensive list. 🙂

21 Comments

Hello Lindsey
I am so excited to start learning calligraphy. Your blog on starting to learn calligraphy is so inspiring that I along with my 11 year old daughter ordered the supplies . This would be the best summer we would spend together I will love doing something creative with my daughter . I have so many questions in my mind but initially I will start with the beginners kit and the I will download Amy’s font .
Thanks Lindsey for inspiring me to take another creative hobby.
Thanks
Shalaka

Thank you Lindsey! I have some calligraphy supplies that I purchased and started to learn Copperhead last year. I haven’t done too much practice. I just discovered your blog and website while looking for an envelope template. Wow! I love the Amy font. I’m looking at getting the nib and paper you suggest. I’m so excited!

LIndsey, Thank you for giving sites about where Calligraphy materials are in the Philippines!! Thank you so much!! You helped me so much!! But I’ll have to save money to buy those stuff(FYI I’m still 11 yrs. old. My parent’s Don’t have money to afford one, That’s why I’m saving money). But still, You’re the best!!

Hi Amreen! I’m sorry you’re having issues finding the supplies! The supplies listed here are ideal, but if you find supplies that seem similar to these supplies, they should work. For example, look for a nib that looks like the Nikko G nib. Worst case scenario, you can always order from the US or the UK.

I am a student, and I love making beautiful things with my calligraphy. Your blog made it so much easier to get started a few months back! I was using angled calligraphy pens before I started calligraphy with dip nib pens, but it was extremely difficult because I am left handed. I was also scared of blunting the tips of my expensive pens because I use them at the wrong angle. So I started calligraphy with a metal nib because I can’t blunt metal, even with my left-handedness, and using them is easier (for me) than angled calligraphy pens. It was hard to find the right supplies as I live in Australia and postage on items like ink from America is very expensive (add that to the cost of the ink itself!) I’ve gotten confident with a straight pen and the Nikko G nib, but now I want move on to oblique pens. I checked out various places online, and as far as I can tell, the oblique pens are either expensive or not for lefties. Can anyone help me find good quality oblique pens for lefties? I don’t like them super chunky or super expensive. The only store that stocks calligraphy supplies in my city has really bad quality, right-handed oblique pens. I’d really appreciate suggestions!

Unfortunately, I don’t know of any retailers in Australia that sell left obliques … when I teach workshops and I have lefties, I always buy the pens from Paper & Ink Arts. :-/ I wish I could offer more helpful input; hopefully someone else can!

I am a complete beginner, and I’ve really appreciated how informative and easy-to-use your site is. Thank you! On your advice, I tried the Nikko G, but also the Zebra and Tachikawa G (the 3 standards for G pens in Japan). I absolutely love the Zebra because it is sturdy like the Nikko (as far as I can tell) but allows you to make very different strokes between the up (thin) and down (thick) strokes. I’m not sure if the availability of Zebra G pen is the same as the Nikko, but I highly recommend that you try it to see if it would be a better beginner alternative if you never have tried it before. As far as calligraphy supplies in Tokyo, I would recommend Sekaido (also has an online store). They have manga supplies (for G pen nibs) and separate section for calligraphy. However, nibs are limited in choices and the only oblique holder is the plastic cheap one that is unsuitable for the G pen nibs. Anyhow, thank you for all your work!

Yes, it is the website. There is always a lot of foreigners in the stores too, so I think it is pretty English-friendly and popular with tourists to get their hands on Japanese art and stationary supplies.

It could be the nib (if it doesn’t have a super pointed tip), it could be your pressure exertion (maybe try exerting less pressure on the upstrokes), or it could be that the ink is too viscous! You could try adding a little bit of water to the ink and seeing if that helps!

I just got some beginner supplies (thanks to your previous beginners kit post) and am excited to start learning calligraphy. I have some Rhodia paper, but want to get some of the 32# paper so I can print worksheets etc. BUT I’m in New Zealand and it’s so confusing trying to find the same paper. We do have HP paper here, but I can’t find any called Premium Laserjet. I’ve found some called Colour Laser in 120gsm, but not sure if it’s the same, it has similar packaging (http://www.warehousestationery.co.nz/product/B550884.html).

Could you shed some light as to if it should be coated/uncoated? Then maybe I can ask in the store.

Also do you use a tabletop easel or anything? 🙂

Looking forward to being able to print your worksheets and get cracking once I get some decent printer paper!! 😀

Actually, that paper is exactly what you want! According to this chart, 120 gsm is 32#. 🙂 I believe you want coated, but I’m not certain. The link that you provided me with is what you need, really!

I don’t use a tabletop easel, but I do always make sure I have another piece of paper under the piece of paper I am writing on. That makes for a better writing experience because then the paper has some “give”!